Toll and Automated Movie Reviews
Family movie reviews for "Toll and Automated" sorted by average review score:
Toll Gate/His Bitter Pill
Released in DVD by Image Entertainment (20 April, 1999)
Starring: William S. Hart and Anna Q. Nilsson
William S. Hart was the first and arguably the most fascinating of silent-film cowboy stars. Hard and humorless, with a face that looked chiseled out of granite, he straddled the line between hero and criminal as the "Good Badman" of silent Western cinema. In The Toll Gate (1920), directed by Hart regular Lambert Hillyer, he plays Black Deering, the leader of a train-robbing gang sold out by one of his own men. Deering escapes with revenge on his mind, but he's wounded and seeks shelter in the lonely cabin of an abandoned woman (the beautiful Anna Q. Nilsson) where he considers the possibility of a new life, but only after he escapes not one but two posses, one of which is led by his betrayer. The stunning locations paint a hard, rugged West where Hart has practically stepped out of the craggy landscape, ruthless enough to take on the elements on their own terms and quietly driven by a harsh moral code that demands he put his own life on the line to save a boy. The only disappointment in this tinted and toned presentation is the sorry shape of the deteriorated master: rain-like scratches cover the picture in places, and burns, bleeding, washouts, and overexposures overwhelm the picture in particularly damaged spots. Also included (on the Kino video and Image DVD) is the Mack Sennett short His Bitter Pill, a slapstick parody that pokes fun at Hart's stony persona. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score: 
"They might call you Black Deering, but you're all white."A poetic and moralistic Western; True to the spirit of the West because it's told by those, most notably Hart, who knew it firsthand.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete First Season
Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (13 January, 2004)
Like its fellow HBO series Sex and the City, this half-hour comedy broke some TV rules and went from critics' darling to an award-winning series in three years. Curb is the brainchild of star-creator Larry David who co-created Seinfeld and was the basis for the easily rattled George Costanza (who was played by Jason Alexander). Like George, David has a tendency to speak too much, blow things out of proportion, and, most often, fail in the end (and often liking it that way). David's new show is also like his predecessor: it's about "nothing" except following the day-to-day ramblings of a sometime writer and comic (this time in L.A.). Eternal questions stemming from universal daily dilemmas are honed to perfect comedic absurdity. A notable exception is the show is only scripted by plot; much of the action is improvised. The first season starts with a one-hour mockumentary following David's return to stand-up for the first time in years; the other 10 episodes follow a more traditional sit-com setup.
David plays "himself" (as does his friend, Richard Lewis) although his manager and wife are played by comedians Jeff Garlin and Cheryl Hines. Although this first season is a comedic gem, one can't take more than an episode or two at a time--it's acidic, biting comedy. The episodes are often built like a house of cards, which the irritable David will surely collapse by the end. Like another caustic TV character, Dabney Colman's Buffalo Bill (1983-84), Larry David is not for everybody. --Doug Thomas
Average review score:
Where the heck are Seinfeld DVDs?Larry David is getting his OWN SHOW released on DVD? His show barely hit the airwaves! ...
There seems to be a little known show called SEINFELD which over 30000 people have been waiting FOREVER to be released on DVD. I find it shocking that David would rather promote his own series (which many fans of Seinfeld don't care about) rather than releasing the show that fans have been crying for since 1998 and which he helped co-create. He should stop fantasizing of what "kind of $" he could make with his own show and realize the millions he could be making with Seinfeld DVDs.
On behalf of 30000+ fans: When the heck will we ever see Seinfeld episodes on DVD?!?
Pure Comic Genius!Larry David has established himself as the best comedy writer of all time. Seinfeld's greatness speaks for itself, but this show takes his writing to a whole new level. With brilliantly improvised acting by David and company, hilarious plot situations, and splendid directing, this first season (along with the 2nd and 3rd) proves this show to be a classic. Most episodes have Larry getting the short end of the stick, but that's just the way life is sometimes. I cannot wait to see what happens in the upcoming 4th season. These episodes will change your outlook on life.
best damn showi am so glad that this show is on dvd but what in the world took hbo so long to release this??? this is the funniest show on tv and hbo needs to take advantage of that, shame on hbo for being so stupid and waiting 5 years to release the first season. Who is running that station??? But cant wait for this dvd!!!
Free Willy
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (05 June, 2001)
Starring: Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, and Michael Madsen
Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear- jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score: 
Awesome!!This britsh flick helped liberate me from wearing underpants!! The brave cast and directors of this social masterpiece had the courage to stand up to society and say "We don't need our knickers!!" Ever since I saw this movie I havn't worn any underwear because of it. Sometimes I get rawhead but that's no big deal. I'm glad I found out about this now and not when I was eighty when it would have been too late. Bye.
Free Willy is Awesome!Free Willy is one of my favorite movies even though I know an orca couldn't be set free immediatly; they would have to go through rehibilitation and learning skills for survival. This great movie really shows how some animals (such as orcas) are mistreated. Even though I like going to places like Seaworld and zoos, I don't like facilties with exhibits that have paint chipping, the tank not being deep enough and bad food quality. I give it five stars for enthusiasm, adventure, reality, and just being my all time favorite movie! This movie is for ALL ages young or old. Keiko, who played Willy in the movie, is now learning to survive in the wild because "Free Willy" so that is why I rate it on the top... wouldn't you?
still great after all these yearshow could a movie be so moving and have a beautiful soundtrack. it always makes me cry every time i watch it.
Free Willy (10th Anniversary Edition)
Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (28 January, 2003)
Starring: Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, and Michael Madsen
Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear-jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
Awesome!!This britsh flick helped liberate me from wearing underpants!! The brave cast and directors of this social masterpiece had the courage to stand up to society and say "We don't need our knickers!!" Ever since I saw this movie I havn't worn any underwear because of it. Sometimes I get rawhead but that's no big deal. I'm glad I found out about this now and not when I was eighty when it would have been too late. Bye.
Free Willy is Awesome!Free Willy is one of my favorite movies even though I know an orca couldn't be set free immediatly; they would have to go through rehibilitation and learning skills for survival. This great movie really shows how some animals (such as orcas) are mistreated. Even though I like going to places like Seaworld and zoos, I don't like facilties with exhibits that have paint chipping, the tank not being deep enough and bad food quality. I give it five stars for enthusiasm, adventure, reality, and just being my all time favorite movie! This movie is for ALL ages young or old. Keiko, who played Willy in the movie, is now learning to survive in the wild because "Free Willy" so that is why I rate it on the top... wouldn't you?
still great after all these yearshow could a movie be so moving and have a beautiful soundtrack. it always makes me cry every time i watch it.
The Brave Little Toaster
Released in DVD by Walt Disney Home Entertainment (02 September, 2003)
Average review score:
Rather DisturbingThis movie was not at all what I thought it would be. It along with BLT Goes to Mars was given to me by my mother as a gift to my children. After previewing the film with my husband we were not impressed. Many scenes, characters, and situations were disturbing even to us! It was creepy and weird. I own most of the other disney classics and normally have no complaints but this series is a whole other story. I even hesitated donating it to the goodwill for fear that it would scare some other child. If you own this movie watch it with the eyes of a child and perhaps you will understand. Some parts are cute and sweet but there are too many questionable things like an angry air conditioner that yells and then blows itself up?!? My advice would be to stick to the basics. You can't go wrong with Cinderella.
Different Than Most Animated Childrens MoviesI saw The Brave Little Toaster on HBO and I liked it, it's unusual compared to most animated childrens movies and a bit quirky but I think the quirky charm is one of the reasons it was such a big hit with children and adults who wanted something a little different. It is nice to know that this movie is now on DVD, I looked this up one other time on Amazon and it was only available on video at that time so perhaps I will buy the DVD and it's nice to learn that SNL's Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz provided voices in the movie, I actually didn't know that when I watched this.
A home theater library MUST!This has to be one of the MOST fasinating childrens films ever made! I've read other reviews made by other "dis-satisfied" customers and shake my head in disbelief. To turn every day appliances into warm cuddly objects of affection is truly magical. After viewing this movie you'll want to give your toaster a hug and pull out your ratty "blanky" that you once loved as a child. I HIGHLY recommend this movie for people of ALL ages.
Pilot Candidate - The Test (Vol. 4)
Released in DVD by Geneon Entertainment (21 May, 2002)
The 1999 TV series reaches a rather inconclusive conclusion in these final episodes. When Erts is commissioned as a full-fledged pilot, the familiar group of students find themselves in competition to succeed him as "top candidate." The rivalry between Zero and Hiead threatens to become a murderous duel when a training exercise turns into a space battle with the alien Victims. Hiead's "Repairer" Ikuni sabotages Zero's mecha suit in an effort to win over her aloof partner, but the inexplicably cat-eared Azuma covers for her. Much of episode 9 is devoted to an odd dream, in which Zero sees himself and his friends as 19th-century schoolchildren. Neither his dream nor his visions of a mysterious, long-haired woman are ever resolved satisfactorily: Pilot Candidate borrows elements from Evangelion and various Gundam adventures but fails to integrate them into a coherent narrative. Rated 13 Up: Violence, minor profanity, tobacco use. --Charles Solomon
Average review score:
ConfusingI found this anime very confusing. Like most animes the episodes can seem confusing but they reveal themselves in the end. What makes this anime even more confusing is that it has a cliff hanger ending and it never really reveals itself in the end.
good mix of drawn and cgiHad seen it on Cartoon Network, and wanted to see what it was like unedited. Only thing I don't like about it, is the fact that they appear to not have finished the story.
This anime is great!!! I wish everyone would love it!!!!!In the future, mankind lost 4 planets due to a terrible mistake. They reteated to space and built colonies,huge domes with glass protecting it. There is only one planet left, Zion. The alien form known as VICTIM is out to destoy it. So.....
Mankind built huge mechas called Ingrids or Goddesses. The candidates must first train to become one of the 5 Goddess pilots. They go to the Goddess Opperating Accademy or GOA. And when they become pilots they go to GIS. And.....
To be a candidate you have to have the abiltity of EX. Having a reaction to such a power turns your hair teal. It may be telepathy or the power to move fast without being seen. OK.....
The story follows 5 candidates. The main character is Zero Enna. He is a hyper boy and can't stop talking about his dream to pilot the White Ingrid that saved him when he was younger. He has a rival named Hiead and friends Yamagi, Roose, Clay, and another senior named Erts whose brother is a pilot.
Zero and his classmates train and live on GOA. And the story also go into the lives of the pilots. Now...
I love the anime and I'm getting the DVDs. It came on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network but was cancelled for some strange reason.
Get it because it's in space and space is COOL!!!!
Pilot Candidate - Training (Vol. 2)
Released in DVD by Pioneer Video (08 January, 2002)
Instruction in how to pilot the gargantuan humanoid robot-suits called Ingrids begins in earnest, as each of the five male students is paired with a female "repairer" trainee who maintains the equipment. Zero draws Azuma, who, inexplicably, has cat's ears. Although their partnership begins with quarrels, they're well matched: Zero must overcome his fear of zero gravity, Azuma her self-consciousness. The rivalry between the good-natured if thick-witted Zero and the icy Hiead grows more intense, with Clay occasionally acting as mediator. The hints that Zero shares a mystic bond with the Ingrids clearly foreshadow upcoming developments. Director Shin-Ichi Yamaoka fails to blend the flashy 3-D CG animation of the Ingrids with the flat characters, producing some odd visual discontinuities. Rated 13 Up: Violence, minor profanity and risqué humor, tobacco use. --Charles Solomon
Average review score:
ConfusingI found this anime very confusing. Like most animes the episodes can seem confusing but they reveal themselves in the end. What makes this anime even more confusing is that it has a cliff hanger ending and it never really reveals itself in the end.
good mix of drawn and cgiHad seen it on Cartoon Network, and wanted to see what it was like unedited. Only thing I don't like about it, is the fact that they appear to not have finished the story.
This anime is great!!! I wish everyone would love it!!!!!In the future, mankind lost 4 planets due to a terrible mistake. They reteated to space and built colonies,huge domes with glass protecting it. There is only one planet left, Zion. The alien form known as VICTIM is out to destoy it. So.....
Mankind built huge mechas called Ingrids or Goddesses. The candidates must first train to become one of the 5 Goddess pilots. They go to the Goddess Opperating Accademy or GOA. And when they become pilots they go to GIS. And.....
To be a candidate you have to have the abiltity of EX. Having a reaction to such a power turns your hair teal. It may be telepathy or the power to move fast without being seen. OK.....
The story follows 5 candidates. The main character is Zero Enna. He is a hyper boy and can't stop talking about his dream to pilot the White Ingrid that saved him when he was younger. He has a rival named Hiead and friends Yamagi, Roose, Clay, and another senior named Erts whose brother is a pilot.
Zero and his classmates train and live on GOA. And the story also go into the lives of the pilots. Now...
I love the anime and I'm getting the DVDs. It came on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network but was cancelled for some strange reason.
Get it because it's in space and space is COOL!!!!
Pilot Candidate - Working Together (Vol. 3)
Released in DVD by Pioneer Video (05 March, 2002)
As training continues at the Academy, Zero's special ability--his extraordinary speed--comes to the fore when he's paired with a senior candidate, the telepathic Erts Cocteau. They make an effective duo, fighting together in the test mecha, the Pro-Ings. Erts sees into Zero's rather simple psyche and approves of his single-minded dedication to becoming a pilot. But their partnership proves short-lived: Erts is promoted to commissioned pilot when his older brother Ernest is killed in a battle with the alien Victim. (Zero's rivalry with Hiead falls by the wayside during these episodes.) The designs of both the Pro-Ings and Ingrids are flashy and dramatic, but they're badly animated: the supposedly huge, multi-ton machines have no weight when they move. Rated 13 Up: Violence, minor profanity, tobacco use. --Charles Solomon
Average review score:
ConfusingI found this anime very confusing. Like most animes the episodes can seem confusing but they reveal themselves in the end. What makes this anime even more confusing is that it has a cliff hanger ending and it never really reveals itself in the end.
good mix of drawn and cgiHad seen it on Cartoon Network, and wanted to see what it was like unedited. Only thing I don't like about it, is the fact that they appear to not have finished the story.
This anime is great!!! I wish everyone would love it!!!!!In the future, mankind lost 4 planets due to a terrible mistake. They reteated to space and built colonies,huge domes with glass protecting it. There is only one planet left, Zion. The alien form known as VICTIM is out to destoy it. So.....
Mankind built huge mechas called Ingrids or Goddesses. The candidates must first train to become one of the 5 Goddess pilots. They go to the Goddess Opperating Accademy or GOA. And when they become pilots they go to GIS. And.....
To be a candidate you have to have the abiltity of EX. Having a reaction to such a power turns your hair teal. It may be telepathy or the power to move fast without being seen. OK.....
The story follows 5 candidates. The main character is Zero Enna. He is a hyper boy and can't stop talking about his dream to pilot the White Ingrid that saved him when he was younger. He has a rival named Hiead and friends Yamagi, Roose, Clay, and another senior named Erts whose brother is a pilot.
Zero and his classmates train and live on GOA. And the story also go into the lives of the pilots. Now...
I love the anime and I'm getting the DVDs. It came on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network but was cancelled for some strange reason.
Get it because it's in space and space is COOL!!!!
Love Letters
Released in DVD by New Concorde Home Video (10 June, 2003)
Average review score:
Great cult film - very poor video qualityI was very disappointed in the current release of Love Letters (Passion Play) on video cassette. It appears to me that the master from which the tape was made was of low quality, the tape is recorded in EP mode, which further degraded the video quality, and the audio quality varies from woeful to just barely acceptable.
Jamie WOW!!The best movie Jamie ever made. Also the best movie to see her gorgeous body in her prime. The story of her character having sex with a married man and ending up falling in love. This is a must have for Jamie fans. They did a great job with transferring the print to DVD. Also this film came out 1983 not 1984.
A '2' for the movie, but a '5' for Jamie Lee's form.OK, using my own type of mathematics, this still averages out to a '5' rating. ...
Um, I'm not really sure what this movie is about, actually. The love letters of the title are letters that the mother of Jamie's character had sent to HER lover over a number of year. These letters are full of angst and remorse over her inability to leave her husband and just let herself go to her lover.
Jamie has been looking for this kind of burning love herself but had never found it. So she decides to begin an affair with a married man in an attempt to recreate the same level of passion that she is reading about in her mother's letters. Unfortunately, she chooses this wimpy guy played by oh, I don't know, some forgettable actor.
But none of that matters, anyway...
The Temp
Released in DVD by Paramount Home Video (19 August, 2003)
Starring: Timothy Hutton and Lara Flynn Boyle
Enjoyably trashy fun. The Temp stars Timothy Hutton as an executive with a history of paranoia and jealousy. When his company is taken over by a large corporation, everyone scrambles and jockeys for position--but Hutton finds himself rising to the top with the assistance of his temporary secretary (Lara Flynn Boyle, wearing a series of escalating hairdos and short skirts). As rivals and foes start turning up dead, Hutton struggles to figure out if his madness is returning, or is his curvaceous secretary taking her job a little too seriously? The Temp isn't as gloriously over-the-top as one might wish, but it is a ridiculous yet completely watchable potboiler with lots of daffy dialogue and cheesy performances; the cast includes Faye Dunaway, Oliver Platt, and Maura Tierney. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score: 
Needs a rewrite with more DunawayThis is yet another vehicle starring Faye Dunaway that did not fully utilize her incredible talent. Who needs Lara Flynn Boyle when you have Faye Dunaway? Miss Dunaway was not in enough scenes, though she's looking good. They should have ditched the Flynn Boyle character and had Timothy Hutton fall in love with Dunaway. People start to die mysteriously, and he's not sure if it's Dunaway. She could do a couple of scenes where she acts nuts and you're not sure if she's guilty. In the end, it turns out to be jealous women in her office trying to frame her to get Timothy Hutton to ask them out. Dunaway and Hutton run off together in the end. That is is a much better story and would have showcased Dunaway much better. Otherwise, the action was good.
... it's a bargainwell the casting is good. boyle looks great. hutton does his EMOTIONALLY SCARRED role good (again). and faye dunaway to boot? trying to kill and screw her way to the top, temp harrington excels as a natural born liar who is able to respond effectively to any confrontation. I really liked that element of realism. We've all met people like that. There are some clever killings, and a memorable dismemberment. such of a happy ending as hutton's character finds confidence and authority in his capture of a crook. slick and glossy. sexy in a sick way.
Excellent!I loved this movie! Lara Flynn Boyle seems like a dream come true as a temp for her boss, Timothy Hutton. She's so anxious to please and is extremely efficient. As time goes on, though, Lara's character begins to lose her shine. She's caught in lies about her educational background and so-called family. After a while, co-workers start turning up dead. Lara's character is somewhat humorous, despite her evil side. Faye Dunaway was also great.